Tractor.



E. s. IIIIILLs LII A. A. IvIcL/IIIGIILIII.

TRACIOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3o. I9I7.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I TIL.

$.MILLS a A. A1 MCLAUGHLIN.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED Jung 30. |911.

latened Nov. 19, 1918.

UNTE

Parrainer ernten.

EMORY S. MILLS AND ANDREW A. MCLAUGHLIN, OF MUNCIE, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS TO MUNCIE WHEEL COMPANY, OF MULTCIE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

TRACTOR,

Application tiled `Tnly 30. 1917.

To aZZ wiwi/t i! may conce/n Be 1t known that we. Enom' S. Mums and Axnnnw A. McL.\i'oni.1.\', citizens of the United States. residing at'y Muncie. in the,

county of Delaware and State of indiana,

` have invented a new and useful Tractor, of

which the. foltowing is a specification.

The object of our invention is to produce a simple, compact'. and eticientJ driving train for farm tractors. whereby the traction wheels may 'ne independently controlled to produce rotation in either direction and at the same or different speeds. and thereby7 control the movements of the tractor by such. control of the traction wheels, and to provide additional wheels which ordinarily serve as caster wheels in the direction-controlling action by the tractor wheels but may be thrown into action to control or assist in the control of the direction of movement; and to obtain the control of the traction wheels from a single main shaft which extends longitudinally of the machine and may also be. connected to a hoistingIr gear for elevating tools from: active position, lwhich hoisting gear may be readily con- "ytrolled and automatically disconnected when sufficient hoisting has been obtained.

The accompanying draw'ings illustrate our invention. Figure 1 is a plan of a tractor en'ibodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of such tractor; Fig. Si is an enlarged plan, in partial horizontal section. of

Vthe. driving train for the traction wheels and hoisting gear; Fig. is a transverse section on the line wat of Fig. 5 through a branch of the driving train leading to one of the traction wheels; Fig. 5 is a section on the line of Fig. Li; Fig. t3 is a section on the line G-t of Fig. 7 showing the hoisting drum and associated parts; Fig. Y isa' section on the line 7-7 of Fig. t3; Fig. S is an enlarged section on the line t-S-t of Fig. t3, omitting` the shifting lever; Fig. S) is a .section on the line. 9 4) ot Fig. 1t). showing tht` arrangement for throwing in and ontfthe. control mechanism for the front caster wheel; Fig. 1t) is a plan of such control mechanism; and Fig. 11 is an enlarged section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 3.

The tractor frame 15 is supported near 'the rear on two traction wheels 16 and 17, and aty the front on two caster wheels 18 and 19 which are mounted to swing on vertical pivot. pins 20 at the ends of a front:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nev. ist. wie.

serial No. maaz.

axle 21 connected to the frame 15 on a horipivot pin 22. caster wheels 1H and` lthare to the rear of thel vertical plaiie,\ot"`---tlie^ pivot pins 2t). so that such castel' wheels normally swingas casters to take the proper course as the di rection of travel ofthe machine is controlled by the traction wheels 1( and 1i' in a manner hereinafter described. lloweverhwhen desired. either or both caster wheels 18 and ltl may be positively swung around their pivot pins 2t). to control or assist in the control of the steering. This is shown for the castel' wheels 18 only7 the pivot pin of which has mounted thereon a worm wheel sector which may cooperate with a worm 24 carried by a sliding frame 25 slidable lengthwise of the axle 21 to throw the worm 24 into and out of mesh with the worm wheel sector 23. This sliding may be accomplished by a lilik 26 which connects the slidine' frame 25 to a` crank 2T on a shifting snaft 2H. The worm 2t and the shifting shaft 2S may be controlled in any convenient manner. but are preferably connected. through universal ljoints 2t? and Clt), to shafts 31 and 352 which lead to the rear of the tractor and are there provided with a steering wheel 33 and a shifting lever 5H respectively. Vl'hen the shifting lever 34 is thrown to the left` the worm 2l is ont of mesh with they worm wheel sector 22E, so that the caster wheel 18 may swing as a caster: but when theshiftinglever 34 is thrown to the right the worm" 2-l is thrown into mesh with the worm wheel sector 225 so that by manipulation of the steeringwheel the caster wheel 18 may be positively controlled. to control or assisty in the control of the steering.

The tractor frame 153 carries the usual engine B5. near its forward end. and the shaft of this engine carries the usual f'iy wheel 3G and is connected. preferably through a clutch 37 and a universal Ijoint 38. to a rearwardly extending shaft 3S) which extends longitudinally and substantially centrally of the tractor frame as the main, shaftl ot' the driving train. Paralleling the shaft 35) are two hollow counter shafts 4-0 and 41 which are reslazctively connected aty their forwardy ends through bevel gearing 42 and 43 to a sleeve 44 and a shaft 45 on which such sleeve is loosely mounted? and this each of the hollow shafts 40 and 41.

shaft and sleeve are each provided with a pinion 46 which meshes with a gear=47 on one of two transverse jack. shafts 48, each of which jack shafts at its end is provided with a driving pinion 49 meshing with an internal gear 50 on one of the traction wheels 1'6 and 17.-

Two. sleeves 51 and 52 are jonrnaled on sleeve 51 is provided with two gears 53 and 54 of diferent'size, and with an outer friction drum 55; and each sleeve 52 is provided ing lever 58', thus providing two gear lratios between the shafts 39 and each of the sleeves 51. Each gear 56 meshes with an idler gear 61, which two idler gears mesh with a common gear 62 on-the shaft 39. Thus the sleeves 52 are driven in the reverse direction 2a 57`on-each hollow shaft 40 or 41 have their .'two open ends toward each othr, 'and withfrom the sleeves 51. The two drums 55 and in and coperating with such tw'oA frictionI drums are two pairs of friction shoes 63 and 64 respectively, which are mounted on pairs of screws 65 and 66 'carried by a sup porting member 67 keyed on such hollow shaft. `Each screw 65 and 66 is oppositely threaded at its ends, and is provided at its. middle with a pinion 68 which projects into the hollow shaft or 41 and there meshes with teeth 69 formed on a rod 70 longitudinally `slidable within such hollow shaft.

i' The threads' on the ends ofthe screws vv65 are in the opposite sense from those in the corresponding ends of the screws 66, so that as af rod 70 ismoved longitudinally 'of its hollow shaft the friction shoes 63 and 64 'associated withsuch hollow shaft are moved in opposite senses, the shoes 63 being moved outward when the shoes 64 are moved inward and vice versa. By this arrangement,- moving tlie iod 70 axially in one direction causes the shoes 63 to enga-gc the friction drum 55 to interlock the sleeve 51Ato the hollow shaft 40` or 41, for forward drivingA through'either the gears 59 and 53 orl the gears and 54; and moving such rod axially in the other. direction causes the slices 64 to engage the friction'drum 57' to interlock the sleeve 52 to the hollow shi-ift 40 or 41, for rearward driving through the gears 62, 61, and 56. By nianipulating the tivo. rods in the proper manner, it is thus possible to drive the two tractioirwheels 16 Y. shifting the two rods 70' and the sleeve 5,8, the sleeves '51 and 52- on-'each `ofthe ho 1. low shafts 40, and 41am-controlled to proand 17 either in the same or opposite directions, and at the same or different speeds by permitting slippinn of the slices within the friction drum, or one traction wheel can be driven while'thc other remains station- Each .some additional device.

ary, foreach rod 70 preferably has an intermediate position in which its associated friction shoes are out of enga ement with both the associated l'friction unis. By this means the ordinary control of 4thevsteering of the tractor is obtained, .the 4frontcaster wheels 1.8 and `19 actin as caster wheels;.

e sapplemented orV of them is provided at its rear end with a l collary 71 from which proiectcross pins 72..V `30 cooperating with a shifting yoke 73 operable by a suitable shifting lever'74.; y

At itsrear end the shaft 39 is. provided lwith a friction drum'75, with'whicli co er-f ate expansible clutch members 76A fixe on a shaft 77 in alinement with the shaft 39, the clutch members 76 being controlled by a shifting cone 78 lwhich when shifted in one direction forces the clutch members 76 y.

outward into engagement "withthe Afriction drum 75. yoke 79 operable by a foot lever 80 ,The shaft 77 extends to the rear ofthe tractor frame 15, and is :issocia'ted-ivith The cone is shiftable by a editable power-transmitting mechanism for driving As shown, it. is provided with. a worin 8l which meshes With a worin wheel 82, the worm and worm wheel being mounted in an oil-ti ht casing 83.y

The worm wheel 82-is carrie by a sha-ft 84,1

one end of which projects throughthe casing83 and is provided with a clutch meni-A ber at anintermediate point in itslength' Journaled on the projecting portion .of the` shaft 84 is a winding drum 86, which is ailiir"V ally shiftable on the shaft 84 by means of a hand lever 87, being normally urged toward vthe clutch member 85-by a spring 8S.

The'drnm 86 is provided withl a clutch inember 89 which meshes with the vclutch member 85, and carries a chain 90 which passes downward to any tool, such, forfinstance,

'lio rearwardly overl van .idler and vfrom thence winding direction engages a finger 93 car:v ried by a rod 94 attached tothe foot lever l 80, the rear end of such rod .94, or the end provided with. the finger 93, resting on a'v shelf 95st that it willbe maintained path off'movernent of the pin 92.

The' operation is as followst` The shaft 39 is set into or out of oper-ih, tion bythe clutch 37. By manipulating the two levers 74 and theg'lever 58', thereby in the duce movements of the traction Wheels 16 sector to @parate lille f the cleclx mex'nlal ment causes the the propel directif; implemen; at'tacni-f if lifting continues but fm. a. limed dls'; for when the drum 86 has m0 l 1 a predtefmined mini *bhe pin si; :kes ha inge and moves 'fooi levee: 8U i@ zal position. t0 release th@ eXpansbl-s l" members 7G ncl thus smps lm slm- Wwe claim :1s our invention:

1. In :l traco', the combination @if a tmctor frame, suppolting wheels 'for ,saisi including a ,tr-(wilma Wheel on each Lide, a.. main engine-driven saam' ezencling lenig;- tuflinally of said frame, two hollw Cuncl shafts pamlllng sai@ main shaf, een motion from auch of said wute? zo one. of said tacbion Wheels7 wo sica-Jes lsely mmmtecl im each of www shafts, gafring ':mmecting each @E sleeves o Suid 1 in shaft., gea @hiding on Said main Slm'@ x common t0 the gearing leading" on both comme? shafts, and l within said' hollow c'mmer Y trolling he connection to such cm .n-'ev: of "31e sleeves thereon.

2. lfm a imctor, the ccf n. tor frame, sumorting w wills' including a tracion whee 11min engine-driven sh; tudinally of said frame, shafts pmallelng said main sh 4. mention from each of said @nume one 'imei-@0n two loosely n'lomlte; @n each of Said shafts, gearing connect @ach oli m15.

'sleeves to Suid main shaft. and s ,Qli-

able within said hollow cuner sha-ls fm conholln'g the connectian to fsu-:l1 munter m'ftmf the sleeves thereon. i

3. 'n u tractorfthe combina-im; of a tmcwx' frame, supporting Wheels fol frame including a tract-ion wheel on each sida. ny

main engne-dlven shaft exemlng longitmlmally m" Smil imma, two @Gunter shafts pz'nallslhg Said main slm-ft, il fram each of said counter slxfms 'm mi@ of szljrl flncion Wheals, tw() @2f/r mounecl am each of weaving connecmp n' v A 52x15! mam slums? Sam Wheels fm' said iml im. l

mmm el main shaf, a Cona coun-tel' shafts to vmals, 'awo Sleeves of 'said colmi-er elch Smid inm shaft Size which mounted on @nrw/- Size whit-n by the Deva may be mused iol eeml on n sleeve f, and means assoczefl each ammi@ slm with nach amm slm'', fm' Connecting' i0 Such comme@ Skal@ 91H19? Sleeve mounted' there-0n.

fsaid. m in shaftjnd .seid countershaits for' driving theA latter in the opposite direction,

`the two countershaiiis being coiillectibie in* dependently of each other to either of said two Sets of gearing,'a shaft in eiinement with seid main shaft.

8. A tractor, comprising efmme, two traction Wheels mounted. on said frame, means for indeliendenty com-,roiiing said traction wheels, an axle "mounted on said frame to swing about a central horizontal pivotal axis, two caster Wheels mounted at opposite ens of said axle, steering mechanism for one of said costei' Wheels, and means for throwing seid steeiing mechanism into and out of operative connection vwith theoeeter wheel which it may conti'oL 9. A tractor, comprising a, frame, two traction wheels mounted thereon, an axle mounted on said 'frame to swing about e axle, mea-ns for controlling Said 'traction wheels to drive them in the same or opposite directions et' Wi1i,'steering mechanism for one of ,said caster Wheels, and means for throwing said steering mechanism into and out ofopemtive connection with the casterY EMRY S.' MILLS.- ANEREXW A. MoLAUGHLN.

`central horizontal pivotal axis, two caster wheels mounted at opposite ends of seld4 

